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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. spring — of water
  6. tear — to rip
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bank — for money
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. prune — to trim
  11. land — to come down
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. land — ground
  14. track — a song
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bank — for money
  17. track — a path
  18. bank — of a river
  19. tear — from crying
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — the season
  22. land — a country
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. track — to keep track

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com